A politician can wear pink, red, green, or whatever color wins the next election. But what color does a Palestinian child’s suffering have? What political party does a grieving mother belong to? And since when did human rights become a campaign promise that expires when our favorite politician disappoints us?
Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo received Israeli Ambassador Dana Kursh at Naga City Hall on Oct. 5, 2026 as part of the envoy’s visit to the Bicol region.
The meeting has reignited the online debate among Filipinos about Israel’s military actions and the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. There’s a lot of criticism about the optics of having an Israeli representative in the room whilst Palestinians are being uprooted, suffering violence and in a state of severe humanitarian crisis.
There’s every reason to be concerned. Public officials should be held to account when they are hosting foreign envoys in the middle of a global crisis which has rightly outraged the world. A photo with an ambassador is never neutral. The critics have every right to ask what message it sends.
But a signal is not a statement. Senator Kiko Pangilinan (Robredo’s 2022 running mate) and the Liberal Party stood by her, stating that receiving a guest of the city does not in any way constitute endorsement of atrocities.
Pangilinan said there was no evidence that Robredo approved of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. There’s nothing in the account of the visit to suggest Robredo endorsed Israel’s military policy.
Courtesy calls are also the order of the day. Kursh has made similar visits to other local executives including Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico III and Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. Robredo herself as VP had a meeting with then Israeli Ambassador Ilan Fluss in June 2022, prior to the war in Gaza.
The point is not that precedent absolves us of everything. The point is that it has always been part of the way local and national governments operate to receive a diplomat.
Timing is everything. When people are being killed you can’t just make a gesture to the envoy. If you genuinely care about Palestinian lives you have to say it to the envoy’s face. The real issue is whether the mayor will speak up for the protection of civilians. To date the criticism has been focused on the photograph and not on any actual statement or action.
This is where partisanship completely corrupts the whole thing. In Philippine politics outrage is all the time selective and hypocritical. You can condemn the exact same act as immoral if your opponent does it, and you can quite reasonably excuse it as just good old protocol if your own man does it. Outrage based on the politician’s surname is not a moral position at all, it’s pure political opportunism. The supporters become blind apologists and the critics become hypocrites.
If we are serious about Palestine then our demands have to be consistent. We have to ask every single official, irrespective of party, where they stand on the protection of civilians, on humanitarian access and on the principle of accountability for violations of international law. We have to assess them on their words, their policies and their votes not on a single photo op.
It’s so easy to go after those we already don’t trust. The real test is whether we will be prepared to call out our own allies. Human rights aren’t the preserve of any one political party and our commitment to them shouldn’t be contingent upon who’s in the picture. B. Hermo/JourKnows PH
